This Sporting Life

Brutish miner Frank Machin can barely contain his resentment towards the local rugby team, who are treated like heroes by the residents of Wakefield. Frank's evident ferocity impresses team owner Gerald Weaver, who offers him a try-out. Sure enough, Frank impresses on the pitch and he too revels in the adulation of friends and neighbours. However, newfound celebrity doesn't win him any favours with his lover, landlady Margaret Hammond, and Frank is blind to the business deals, which dictate what happens before and after the match.